The UFV women’s volleyball team needed only an hour to defeat Columbia Bible College in three straight sets.

Confident from the game’s opening, the Cascades added to their score like clockwork. For every point the opposing Bearcats were able to fight for, UFV responded with multiple quick hitting kills led by Jenna Evans and, later in the game, Nikita Savoy and Simone Hanson.

The Cascades only trailed once, briefly in the second set 3-1, but two consecutive point-scoring blocks from Kierra Noot and Krista Hogewoning returned the lead to the Cascades.

CBC came closest in that second set, but as was the case in all three sets, there was a clear discrepancy between the blocking success rate of the two teams, and the Bearcats squandered points by repeatedly landing balls out of bounds, when they weren’t blocked. The Cascades, on the other hand, were consistently successful at executing plays.

While last year’s team was able to post a winning record, there was not the same degree of success as this year’s team, which is now first in the league with a 4-0 record. The key difference from last season according to head coach Dennis Bokenfohr: “just building our depth from year to year.” Amidst controversy on the business side of varsity sports at this university, the women’s volleyball team has become an example of what commitment to development of a sports program can yield.

While it is still early in the year, the convincing wins so far might have some anticipating how the team will fare against the best in the league in year’s past. Coach Bokenfohr cited the “teams at the top, VIU and Capilano” as opponents that will be real tests for the Cascades.

The team’s next three weekend doubleheaders, against College of the Rockies, Vancouver Island University, and Capilano University, will be played at Envision Athletic Centre on campus.